


Snapshots

by ev_soul14



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Gen, Homophobic Language, Period-Typical Homophobia, Sad Will Byers, Unrequited Crush
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-29
Updated: 2019-06-29
Packaged: 2020-05-29 14:17:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,145
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19402036
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ev_soul14/pseuds/ev_soul14
Summary: Based on some possible concepts season 3 will be exploring. Mike and Will have an argument after one of their D&D sessions, leaving Will upset and alone. Saddened, he looks back at his brief but unhappy life.





	Snapshots

"Will." Mike was blocking the path to his bike. "You can't be doing this, you can't just make us all get together and...play these games like we're all babies still." Will could feel his heart sinking.

"What do you mean, Mike?"

"We're not kids anymore, you hear me?" _Are we not still friends?_

"I don't know, I just thought...things are good now, so..."

"Don't you understand? I wanna hang out with El, Lucas wants to hang out with Max, and Dustin wants to hang out with Steve." 

"But Mike-"

"We're not kids anymore. I mean, what did you think, we're just gonna sit in my basement all day, play games for the rest of our lives?" The sky rumbled, about ready to let loose the rain it had been teasing all day. Will could only stare at Mike, not knowing what to say to him. It seemed like his best friend didn't understand him like he used to. There was a distance that he had been hoping to be able to cross. The D&D game went great, and everyone had a good time. Or so he thought. Nobody had said a word until Mike confronted him just now.

"Mike-"

"Save it, Will. Just go home."

Will did not hesitate to push past Mike and grab his bike, not looking back once as he pedaled his way home as fast as he could. The rain finally started to splash down into Hawkins mercilessly, but the boy didn't care. It was refreshing. He tossed his bike to the ground and headed to his sanctuary, Castle Byers, instead of going inside to the warm familiarity of his home. Holding a picture of his friends, he didn't know he was crying until he tasted salt among all the rain. 

"I'm sorry Mike," he choked out. The last thing he wanted to do was disappoint his best friend. He shakily placed the photo back where it belonged, feeling more at a loss than ever.

Despite everything, Mike was still going to be the one that he missed the most. Even though something was different, something that he just couldn't name. Everyone around him seemed to be matched into neat little twos. Mike and El. Lucas and Max. Nancy and Jonathan, even. His mind kept going back to the dance he had been pressured into at the Snow Ball. The dance was nice, and he had a lot of fun for the first time in a long while. But when he looked around, there were kisses everywhere, and it left him feeling confused. Was he supposed to kiss the girl he was dancing with?

"Uh..." Will looked back at the girl in front of him, but he couldn't remember her name. Her rainbow pin was quite pretty, though, and for some reason it made him think of the rainbow ship he had drawn when he was eight.

He brushed the thought aside. Maybe he just hadn't found someone he liked yet, like everyone else seemed to think. Even Dustin, who had zero success with girls, had a crush or two in his lifetime. So there was some hope. Will tried to hold onto this, but he could feel his hopes sinking once again when he realized that very soon he would no longer be near his friends at all, in a new town with new faces, and nobody would know who he was. There would be no way to stay above the vicious waters known as high school. Middle school had been bad enough.

_"Zombie boy!"_

_"Queer!"  
_

_"Fairy!"_

_"Fag!"_

Of course it all stung, but he didn't want anyone to worry, so he never said a word about it. The only reason his mom even knew that he had been messed with on Halloween was because Bob had said something. Good old Bob. He would probably know what to say. He always did, even if it didn't always help. He was just that sort of guy. But he was gone, so Will was on his own. He was more than certain that his own father would be no help. His father always wanted him to "be more of a man" whatever that meant. To Will, it seemed like being a man meant giving up all the things he liked to do. He would never grow up, then. He'd always remain a kid. Forever. It was safe this way. Nothing could hurt him in Castle Byers.

"Radagast. May I come in?"

"Yeah." Jonathan came into the fort and sat with Will. 

"Hey, I saw you come home. You didn't want to come inside?"

"No."

"What happened?" Will turned to look at his brother. Somehow, he always seemed to know.

"Mike..."

"Did you two have a fight?"

"Jonathan..."

"What?"

"Don't tell mom, okay? I don't want her to worry."

"Sure, buddy. Let's go inside." Will followed Jonathan into the house, very aware of how wet his clothes were. His mom would be home soon, and she'd be all over him with worry if she saw him in this state. He was quick to get his clothes off and step into the shower. After his experiences with the Upside Down, showers felt a lot more important to him and he took them more frequently. It was more comfortable to be cleaner. Just in case.

_Mike...I'm sorry..._

Dressed for bed and in his bed, he looked up happily when his mother came into the room to kiss him goodnight.

"Hey, sweetie, how was the game today?" Joyce kissed his head.

"It was great, Mom."

"Great. Don't stay up too late, you've got school tomorrow."

"Okay, Mom." He watched her leave the room, shutting off the light but not closing the door all the way, which was just the way he liked things now whenever he went to sleep at night. He was not going to fall asleep for a long time, he knew that much.

Will laid awake, facing his supercom. For the briefest moment, he thought about contacting El, but decided against it. She wouldn't understand either. He felt so alone, and wondered what to do about these feelings that he had that he couldn't find a name for. Maybe nothing. He tossed and turned for what felt like hours, but his clock said that only twenty minutes had passed since his mother had left the room. Deep down, he knew there was a reason he felt the most alone when it came to Mike, even though they were the closest. It wasn't always that way, but for some reason now that he was noticing it, he felt like the sensation had always been there. Just like his eyes had always been green.

"Mike..." His eyes grew heavier. His supercom crackled to life just as he was on the edge of sleep.

_"Will? Will_ _are you there? I'm sorry. Over."_


End file.
